I have been listening to talking heads, reading news articles, politicians and even the Pope, all worried about AI. Will it take over? Will we lose control? My opinion is relatively simple in concept. I’m a former computer techie who has dealt with this stuff for over 70 years. AI is nothing more than a productivity enhancer much like any other. Chainsaws, automobiles, refrigerators, computers are all productivity enhancers. They didn’t destroy us. AI has to be handled like any other enhancer which reduces labor. The problem is that the science fiction bullshit we see frightens the public. But the problem is the same as it has always been. Productivity enhancement in business must be shared with the worker. All the benerfits cannot be restricted to the owners or investors.
It was this problem which gave birth to the labor movement. Reduce the hours to produce products and fire the workers to save money and maximize profit. This has been the goal of business from the invention of the wheel. Unions fight to give workers shorter work hours, more pay, more vacation, medical care etc. I use AI all day. Does it get someone else fired? No. It saves me time. It helps me get done what needs to be done faster and often much better. It still amazes me but it doesn’t frighten me.
I’ll even give you a brief introduction to how to use it. When one uses, for example, Google, you use a few key words or even one key word that Google can use to look up something. That’s usually not enough for anything complicated. It might get a name or address, a book title, find a restaurant near you or something simple but obsure. Using AI is different, much different. It reads, interprets, and creates, based on its huge base of information, and the speed and power of its processor(s). Try this. Go to Chatgpt.com. It’s free. Pick a problem you think is outrageous. Describe it in detail to Chatgpt. Even give it the thoughts you already have reasoned yourself. Spare no detail, however weird you think it may be. Then ask for what you want. Describe that too in as much detail as possible what you think you want. Then send it. I guarantee you will be shocked and amazed. But, it won’t scare you. It will definitely interest you.